Schwarzenegger approval rating hits bottom

July 14, 2010

A new Field Poll reveals that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating has dropped to a record low–now tying him with Gray Davis, the man he replaced. [Sacramento Bee]

Only 22 percent of Californians approve of the way the governor is doing his job, down a point from the last poll in March. Roughly 70 percent disapprove of his performance. Schwarzenegger’s low rating puts him exactly where Gray Davis was, two months before he was booted out in the recall election of 2003.

Schwarzenegger and Davis now share the lowest marks for a sitting governor since the Field Poll started tracking their job performance ratings in 1959.

The former Hollywood action movie star scored his highest approval ratings, of 65 percent, in 2004. But his ratings have remained below 40 percent since September 2008 and below 30 percent since last October.

One small consolation for the governor–voters think even less of the state Legislature, giving their elected representatives an anemic approval rating of 16, actually up three points from March.

Let’s hope that Schwarzenegger is removed from office before he can do anymore damage. He’s proven himself to be a duplicitous double-talker and “politician” in the worst sense of the word. He promises one thing, then does another. He’s had a horrible effect on education, social services, and the environment, just to name a few. This is what happens when people think it’s funny to vote in somebody with no business being in a leadership position. We only have ourselves to blame.

No surprise – Arnold has not lived up to the promise of taming the unruly California legislature and electorate. Governing the State of California is NOT like running a business. Arnold promised to come in and use the skills he’d acquired building his post-Hollywood business empire to “fix” what was wrong in Sacramento. It didn’t work for him because politics – especially California politics – is not a business.

Arnold failed because he tried to bully his way around.
Gray failed because in his desire to have people like him he made too many deals with special interests.
Meg Whitman will fail for the same reasons Arnold failed.
Jerry Brown is the only one who understands how to manage a political beast like California AND has no personal desire to be liked (Davis) or to be powerful (Arnold/Meg).